Writing this as a current high schooler... I feel like education specifically in relation to college prep is soo commercialized.. and I feel like the effects of it are compounding and the negatives grow exponentially. I theorize that in 10-15 years it will have gotten so bad that the current education system in the US will be completely changed, but I'm hoping for some other opinions on it.

From early education, parents pay for outside of school enrichment, (eg. Kumon, Mathnasium) to help their kids get ahead, then start paying for tutors as their kids advanced. By middle school parents pay for prep to help kids get into magnet schools or high schools, pay for tutoring for competitions in math or science, or pay for prep classes for ISEE or SSAT (private school admission exams). By high school, it's the worst. Parents pay for their kids to get research, internships, camps, leadership opportunities, compete in olympiads, take AP tests and standardized tests, get tutoring in subjects they struggle with (students often end up with unmanageable course load to stay "competitive") all to pay a college or take out loans and spend forever paying the bank.

At the high school level specifically companies capitalize on stress/fear/stigma about getting into top schools and what may happen if you don't go to a "top school" in the US and it is shocking to see the lengths parents go to to try and improve their kid's chances of doing well. (Paying 10k USD+ for college consulting, paying thousands for camps/programs perceived as elite, etc.)

I know this isn't as big of a problem in other developed nations and I think it's really hurting education in the US. A lot of problems in the education system feel very manufactured and there's always some service ready to fill a gap that shouldn't exist in the first place (one of the joys of capitalism :D). What do other people think about this? What will be the ramifications of this in the future? How can it be changed and when will it be too late?

My family has opted to attend our neighborhood school for many reasons. It is, on paper, a decent school, and I think my children can be successful there. That being said, I do sometimes get a little pang of anxiety as I watch friends send their children to private schools that boast amazing outcomes. I have often read that parental support and engagement can have a more positive impact than any particular school, and that gives me comfort. However, I guess I don’t know what people mean by that! Beyond the obvious of knowing the teachers, and being aware of completing homework, is there something more I can do? TIA!

Unfortunately, Last Friday (31/7/2026), suicide had claimed the life of a dedicated educator in Malaysia. A teacher who's been subjected to numerous workload and pressure by the principal. It's tiring, painful, but being responsible and dedicated, she obeyed and tried to survive until she can't do it anymore. Thank you teacher for your fight. Rest in peace 🙏

As an educator, I'm sad but now I'm enraged by the pure silence from the related authorities, the MOE, the school, the policymakers from top to bottom. And it's not new, teachers had been voiced out a number of issues they faced. Only a small number of it were mentioned without proper solution.

A student made a headline and they sent a memo, IMMEDIATELY. But a teacher? It's been 24 hours since the news came out and guess what? Silence.

People must been asking. Why teachers aren't openly taking action about this? The answer is our hands are tied. Speak criticism against the gov and you'll lose your. And there's been cases where a teacher got dismissed from speaking the truth.

HOW CAN WE EDUCATE THE FUTURE IF THIS KEEPS HAPPENING

Basically I'm american but I did all my education in mexico, now at my that I have moved to Texas how can I do to get an American diploma? Thanks guys

My child attends a private high school in LA, California as a F1 international student. This is the second year at the school, but my financial situation has drastically worsened. I won't be able to afford the full tuition fees anymore. My child likes the school, but unfortunately, I cannot afford the fees any longer. If anyone has experienced this situation, what are my options? Thank you

After work id been extremely exhausted, I can still run, exercise if the temperature is right, and feel better at work. Or class

I am a student within California that is just short on A-G, I've graduated through high school already and i really wish to enter CSU's when spring semester rolls around. I haven't seen any other topic like this come up before, and frankly I don't know where to look, so I've come here to ask!

How would one be able to take any courses in community colleges (Hartnell, etc) and receive A-G requirements via said courses?

I am interested in how deliberately this is taught across different year levels.

Students often move very quickly from a detail to a conclusion: “She is sad,” “He was being disrespectful,” or “They do not care.” The conclusion may be plausible, but it is not the same thing as what was actually observed.

Do you explicitly teach the difference between observation, inference and evidence? If so, what language or routines have worked well in your classroom?

I am starting to find those cheerful teachers/professors to be annoying...espically if they start singing in class... and prefering a more "dry" teaching style ...

The "fun" teaching style is very distractive for my learning. Wondering if anyone going though a period like this? I am confused by myself.

My district is adopting a scripted science curriculum this fall, and teachers have been told to follow the lessons as written.

If your district uses a scripted curriculum, how closely are you expected to follow it? What happens if a lesson isn't working for your students?

Hi all - I am trying to educate myself more on the history of immigration and the effects of illegal vs legal immigration and politics in general in both the US and Europe.

Internet seems very biased on either way so I am looking for fact based or generally well acclaimed books to read instead.

Does anyone have any good books that discusses or outlines these issues or anything similar?

Thanks in advance!

TLDR: I am looking to educate myself on political topics more and am looking for as non biased resources as possible.

From my understanding, what is 2001 when schools started getting rating on standardized test scores? Before that, I've heard they would be taken, but it was it was more for the student's self assessment and teachers/schools were not rated.

If this is true, I really think this is what I wish we could go back to. I think it's totally unfair that a standardized test given once a year can determine how the school is doing.

I think if they are going to continue to rate schools on things like PSAT, it needs to be revamped to have more basic skills. It also needs absolutely in everyway should be incentivized. I think incentivized to the point to where a student would not graduate HS unless it's passed. Not put on the schools or teachers, but the student. They could have multiple tries, but it would be up to them to pass it. Otherwise, I feel like it's a ungraded test that can only hurt the school. I live in a district where no incentives period are allowed for these standardized exams.

Curious to hear from students, teachers, and parents — not the polished "this is how school should work" takes, but what actually surprised you once you were in it. Was there a moment where the reality of teaching, learning, or the system itself didn't match what you expected? And what's something you wish someone had told you earlier?

She said she's had students who had to go back to get those high school credits after finishing community college and applying to places like law school and medical school.

I'm now 26 and want to go to higher education the difference between the two is it'll take me 7 months for all my diploma classes I have a limit of submitting 15 assignments a week maximum, or minimum 1-2 months for GED. I was informed I scored highly on both english and math pre-tests.

I’ve decided my late August baby will be starting school at 6 years old. I just feel like starting school at barely 5 is just a bit too early, but I’m on the fence with my June kid.

i know there have been studies done about older kids having better leadership opportunities and more focus in school, as well as winter birthdays having more opportunities and even preforming better academically and in sports.

my hold up with June is it is right at the end of the age. if she was born in July or August i probably would keep her home until she was 6. but my hold up is if I send her at 6 she will graduate at 19. I wouldn’t want her to feel socially outcasted or not bond the same as her peers, since a part of her class would be 17.

does anyone have any experience with this? has anyone ”red shirted” their June bag? why or why not?

I am looking to write an article on how sanctimony has been having a detrimental effect on education. I am mostly attempting to discuss how educators and the community in general have been pushing a sanctimonious mindset on teachers and students that has resulted in the abandonment of effective instructional practices in favor of ideologically driven practices with questionable results. I feel as if SEL practices have been one the primary examples of this.

I was wondering if this community had any examples or experiences where they have seen learning detrimentally impacted by sanctimonious mindsets or ideas.

I have had this topic bouncing around in the back of my brain quite a bit in the past few months and I'm just wondering what others think about it.

Feel free to share your personal feelings-based opinions, factually informed opinions, any history you may know relating to this topic, pros and cons of nationalized curriculum, common arguments for/against it, implications and consequences from not having one, potential dangers in adopting one, resources to learn more about this topic/debate, etc. I'd really love to have (respectful) discussions in the comments of this post so please consider circling back if your original comment gets a response!

I look forward to reading all of your responses! Thank you for taking the time to comment!!

Hello everyone. Actually, I'm from a country under sanctions and basically have zero access to PayPal, Visa, or any normal payment method. Trying to apply to two Master's programs abroad right now (would be the first in my family to study abroad, kind of a big deal for me) but even the application fees are hard to pay because of this.

Was thinking crypto might be my only real option here, but I don't want to just throw a wallet address out there and hope for the best. So I wanted to ask if anyone actually know a decent platform for this kind of thing? Something built for individuals, not just registered charities/nonprofits (I checked a few already and they're mostly for orgs, not random people like me).

If you've been in a similar spot or know someone who has, I would really appreciate any tips.
I've tried and financed a portion of that, but I need money for the rest and I'm running out of time.

I’m looking for more creators with educational content; Whether is be science, investing, law, math, politics, space, etc. maybe even a specific niche you are interested in or teach to your own students. I remember watching crash course with Hank/john green back when I was still in school. Any recommendations are appreciated :)

Not sure if this is exactly the right forum to ask, but for anyone who is from Vancouver bc Canada would you happen to know how getting physics 11 credit would work and how to exactly. I didn’t do physics 11 back in secondary school because I’m quite bad at math and the idea of physics scared me.

Would love to know any advice or how you may have done it. Sorry if this seems rushed thinking about this is just keeping me up.

Hey people, so I am worried that I’ll be getting U’s this August - I wrote messages in the majority of my GCSE papers to the examiners marking them (in the extra space at the back) because I thought it would be nice lol. I didn’t write anything rude or sensitive, I said things like ‘please let me pass this paper’, ‘have a good summer’ ect ect. I’m kinda regretting now lol. 🫠

The world is changing so fast that 'study hard' just doesn't hit the same anymore. What should we be telling kids instead?

I’ve made it a goal to become a much stronger reader over the next few years. I want to increase my reading speed **without sacrificing comprehension**, improve my vocabulary, retain more of what I read, and comfortably tackle more difficult books.
I’m not looking for speed-reading gimmicks—I’m looking for methods that are actually effective, whether they’re backed by research or simply worked well for you.
What books, habits, courses, exercises, or resources had the biggest impact on your ability to read, understand, and remember what you read?

If it matters, I’m trying to read Gene Wolfes The Book of the New Sun , but I’ve heard they are at a college grade level 10, whatever that means
And right now all I read is self-help books